Caster support



P; D. BECKER CASTER SUPPORT Filed Feb. 8, 1955 .3422 lNvENToR: PHlLlP D. BECKE BY Wa m nited States Patent 2,766,475 CASTER SUPPORT Philip D. Becker, Hingham, Mass., assignor to United- Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Application February 8, 1955, Serial No. 486,877 2 Claims. (CI. 16-30) This invention relates generally to supports, and has particular reference to supports used for insertion into the ends of tubular members such as metal furniture legs.

The object of the invention is to provide a support for such purpose which is adaptable for assembly with tubing disposed at various angles to the floor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a support for assembly into a pair of adjacent ends of a pair of legs disposed at different angles to the floor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support assembly comprising a tubular member and a support assembled therewith in which the tubular member has means therein cooperating with the tube engaging portion of the support to spread portions of the tube engaging portion into gripping engagement with the interior surface of the tube.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an article of furniture having supports embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section of a support embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken on line 33 of Fig. l

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view in section taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a support which is adapted for use with a chair 12 of the type having tubular members serving as the frame and legs thereof. In the illustrated embodiment the legs of the chair are formed by a pair of tubes such as 14 and 16 disposed at different angles to the floor having adjacent ends which may be secured together by a pin 18 extending transversely through suitable apertures in the legs.

The support 10, which is adapted to be assembled with the tube ends, comprises a base 20 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is formed of a single piece of molded plastic and has a relatively thick peripheral portion 22 and a pair of upwardly extending domed portions 24 having a substantially uniform thickness which is less than that of the peripheral portion. The domed portions each have upper and lower hemispherical surfaces 26 and and an aperture 30 extending therethrough, which is larger at the intersection with the upper surface than at the intersection with the lower surface for a purpose to appear hereinafter.

To provide means for seating against the end of the tubes and uniformly distributing the weight of the chair into the base, a cup-like support plate 32 is seated on each domed portion and has a medial upwardly rounded portion 34 conforming generally to the shape thereof.

To provide means for retaining the support in assembly with the tubular member, a tube engaging member 36 is disposed on the medial portion of each support plate, and comprises a pair of resilient legs 38 extending upwardly in spaced relation, with outwardly turned ends 40 and intermediate outwardly protruding shoulder portions 42 disposed thereon for engaging the interior surface of the tube in a manner to appear hereinafter.

The tube engaging means, support plate, and base are secured together by means of a retaining member 44 which extends through the aperture 30, and has a flared i atenied Oct. 16, 1956 "ice portion 46 at the upper end and a flared and hemispherically shaped portion 48 at the lower end disposed against the lower hemispherical surface of the domed portion, so that the domed portion is disposed between the lower flared end of the retaining member and the hemispherical portion of the support plate. The aperture 31 is sufficiently large to permit tilting of the base in relation to the support plate, and the enlargement of the upper end of the aperture permits such tilting with the lower portion of the opening being no larger than necessary.

The support is assembled onto the tube ends by flexing the legs of the tube engaging members together and inserting them into the tube ends. As the end of the tube enters the cup-shaped support plate and bottoms therein, and legs are pushed further into the tubes, the flared ends of the legs thereof contact the pin 18 and are spread apart, causing the shoulders 49 to be forced outwardly into tight engagement with the interior surface of the tube wall (see Fig. 5 Thereafter the support plate distributes the weight of the chair over the domed portion without affecting the engagement of the legs 36 with the interior of the tube, and the base is able to adjust itself to the angle of the legs in relation to the floor, by means of the domed portion sliding between the support plate and the flared lower end of the retaining member.

In the illustrated embodiment the axis of each aperture is inclined in relation to the vertical, thereby increasing the maximum tube angle that can be accommodated.

It will also be evident that supports may be constructed within the scope of the invention for single tubes or for groups of tubes of three or more. In the case of single tubes, it may be desirable to eliminate the use of the pin, in which case the legs of the tube engaging portion may be made sufiiciently strong to grip the interior wall of the tube with sufficient holding power that the presence of the pin to spread the end of the legs is not necessary.

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in the device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A support assembly comprising a tube and a support member assembled onto the end of the tube, said support member having a pair of resilient legs extending upwardly into the tube and having laterally projecting portions dis posed in frictional engagement with the tube, and a leg spreading pin disposed in the tube and extending transversely therein, said legs straddling said pin and being maintained in an outwardly flexed position thereby to force said laterally extending portions against the tube wall.

2. A support assembly comprising a pair of colateral tubes having adjacent ends and a support member assembled onto said ends, said tubes having a retaining pin extending transversely through adjacent side wall portions and extending into the interior thereof, said support member having a pair of spring arms extending into the end of each tube, the arms of each pair having laterally extending portions disposed in frictional engagement with the interior of the tube wall and having end portions straddling the retaining pin and maintained in an outwardly flexed position thereby to force said laterally extending portions tightly against the tube wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,757,962 Herold May 13, 1930 1,836,534 Herold Dec. 15, 1931 2,218,581 Levan Oct. 22, 1940 2,513,194 Miller June 27, 1950 2,640,219 Becker June 2, 1953 

